The eternal search for the perfect riding gear!

[xwingnut]

My first "scooter" was indeed a scooter...an old rusty-red Cushman with a kick-start pedal. It was 1962 and that started a long love affair for two-wheel adventuring. The current ride, a BMW R1200GSA is light-years better than that old Cushman, and there have been many, many machines in between, all good. But the search for the perfect riding gear is just laughable. I have spent thousands of dollars on helmets; jackets; gloves; pants; boots; socks; and even padded long-johns! And as the technology keeps developing, from Aerostitch to Arai; Tourmaster to Gerbing; BMW to Harley, there's always that next "must-have" item that's the best yet! My archived gear closet even sports retired jackets, pants, helmets, an old black leather vest and an old denim jacket with patches and pins from places/events barely remembered. But this year's riding gear, while still not perfect, is the best and safest gear I've ever owned and consists of the following:
Helmet: Shoei GT-Air
Boots: BMW-light, waterproof, and comfortable
Pants: Aerostitch Roadcrafter-ugly but surprisingly comfortable and waterproof
Jacket: Olympia hi-viz mesh with zip in liners-but still not sure about how it'll fare in rain-there just could be something better out there
Gloves: An assortment of summer, mid-season, and winter (Gerbings heated)
The latest addition to riding comfort is a Gerbings heated jacket liner and gloves-black gold! These cost more than my first 2 scooters!

What's your perfect riding gear? Or is this like searching for the perfect bike? It's all good!

JB

[Vance]

ha ha...what a great subject John. I am smiling after reading your description of the Gear Closet...I like you have some really old stuff that just "hangs" around and should probably be thrown away...just can't make myself do it. And like you I have tried a number of combinations and brands over the years in all price ranges. So I agree that the "perfect" gear is likely subjective as some things a person swears by that just doesn't work for others....seats come to mind.

I did decide several years ago though that boots were something I was no longer going to scrimp on. That realization came to me while riding the All Around Alabama Challenge that Mr. Steber put together a few years back. This is a fantastic ride around the perimeter of the state...unless you find yourself just east of Waterloo in November about 6PM in a cold pouring rain dodging the deer with wet feet. I was miserable and decided that if good, waterproof boots cost 10 grand I was gonna pay it!

I have used First Gear jackets and pants for years and even crash tested the brand a couple times...and I am still here to talk about it...so I have to rate them pretty high. I have heard many claim that this brand or that was COMPLETELY waterproof although I have yet to find anything that was. First Gear and Olympia are pretty good but by no means perfect.

Helmets....hmm...had a bunch of 'em. Arai & Shoei I like very much...Schuberth (although they have been redesigned since I had them) was absolutely awful...expensive and awful. Right now I am in the BILT Explorer by Cycle Gear and have been really pleased with them. Got a couple of them and really like 'em.

Gloves = Held Had many other brands for lightweight or summer use...but for winter use I like the Held products.

Underwear....nah...I ain't goin' there....lol....

[SteveHebert]

Multiple sets of gear for the seasons is what I have determined to be perfect. I have the First Gear Shirocco suit for winter. It was 100% waterproof for many years on the RT. I wore it on the 2009 Leaf Peepin trip with Bob, Tommy and Phillip while riding my R75/6 and found it to seep just a bit. I was damp but not cold in the two days of rain we experienced.

I use BMW airflow and club jackets with the Summer 2 pants for the rest. I carry the Gerbing jacket liner with me. Suz'anne is set up pretty much the same way except she has the Olympia pants. Gloves are by Olympia for most riding but I do wear BMW airflow for summer and TourMaster gauntlet style with the included pull over rain cover for the fingers. Have never used that function.

I like the Schuberth helmets. I have the C2 now. Love the flip up and when I first started wearing them, had the internal tinted visor. One of the only on the market.

Boots are Kochman and are due for replacing. I also have used BMW Airflow for many years and love them.

Good gear lasts a very long time.

[Gail]

Ha, ha...doesn't take but one time of being cold and wet to get you serious about buying the good stuff. At that point, you don't care what it costs. I've yet to find the perfect helmet, but BMW gear seems to work well for me. Gerbings is a must. Garmin is a must. The G650GS is definitely the right bike for me. I lean toward the dual sport personality, so all the other add-ons must be complimentary to it. It is definetly a dance that last a riding lifetime. Gail

[xwingnut]

Vance did a nice segue into my followup topic....Seats.
I reckon the bike designers put those flimsy little torture devices on bikes as a cheap way out while considering that a bulletproof kid would be riding it...oblivious to pain and torture! I have the following seats in the room of archived old gear.... a Corbin dual seat from a 2007 Honda ST1300; an original from seat from an 05 RT; and a Sargent front seat for my GSA (I sent the original seat pan to Russell Day Long to build a new seat for this big, old carcass).
I've considered the first impression appearance of the Russell Day Long seat to be almost funny-looking. But after riding mine now for a few hundred miles, I'm amazed at how good it is---for me that is... perhaps not for everybody. While I had to go down to the low setting, it provides support in places that used to hurt after a couple hundred miles...and that's a good thing.
But I still have no visions of riding tank-to-tank with an 8 gallon tank...nosiree!
JB

[Vance]

I've considered the first impression appearance of the Russell Day Long seat to be almost funny-looking. But after riding mine now for a few hundred miles, I'm amazed at how good it is---for me that is... perhaps not for everybody. JB

Ha ha...you and me both!Funny looking but it works for me! I hope to get this season out of it and then send it back for a re-work. I calculated that seat has about 110K on it now as it has been on three different bikes...that is a pretty good life span I believe.....

[jeanne z]

Hey Vance, between the two of you I can't believe you don't have a "gear closet". I have found that taking spare and no longer needed (fitting) gear to either the Alabeemer January meeting or sending it down to the vintage event at Barbers. It's amazing what will sell especially if Mari is around :0
Over the years I have found that if it really fits well, it is worth the price. Now they availability of womens sizes is much better than it was 37 years ago. Pretty non existent back then.

[basketcase]

I'm fairly certain one suit can't do it all, but my 2-pc Roadcrafter comes close in terms of comfort and function. It works well as a 3-season suit with come clever layering. And in the dead of summer it is fine on a naked bike as long as one is moving. But it gets hot quick when sitting still.

I also have a First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and the complementary HT overpants that are okay, but I they don't rise to the bar set by Aerostich stuff bar for build quality and fit.

Finally, when it comes to comfort nothing works as well as leather. It just requires its own special care rituals.